Panaji: Organisations working for the rights of children, came together on Thursday under Childrights Network, to urge the State government to ensure that Goa becomes a safe haven for children.
Nishtha Desai of Children’s Rights in Goa (CRG), said, “Make budgetary allocation to implement various provisions of the Goa Children’s Act (GCA), 2003.”
“The Act is held up in national and international forums as a unique law. But most of its provisions are yet to be implemented as governments have failed to make any budgetary allocation for it,” Ms. Desai told The Hindu .
She said the Act provides for health cards to children, early intervention for development disorders, gender sensitisation and rights awareness in schools, a child friendly tourism code, municipal and village child committees, and plans to address child labour, children in difficult circumstances, and rescuing children from sexual exploitation.
The child rights network said the Act came into force 14 years ago. They also said that incidents of child abuse have risen in Goa, with as many as 324 cases reported between April 2014 and July 2015. “Only a handful of village child committees have been set up, but implementation of the GCA could build safety nets to prevent children from being abused or exploited in any way.”
The 2017-18 State Budget will be presented in the Assembly by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday.
